Pokémon Unite (written as Pokémon UNITE) is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena video game released in 2021. It was created by TiMi Studio Group and made available worldwide by The Pokémon Company. In China, the game is published by Tencent Games. The game was announced during a Pokémon Presents presentation on June 24, 2020, as a partnership between The Pokémon Company and Tencent Games, which owns TiMi Studio Group. Pokémon Unite was released for Nintendo Switch on July 21, 2021, and for Android and iOS devices in 73 countries on September 22, 2021. As of July 2024, the game has been downloaded more than 200 million times across all platforms.
Gameplay
Pokémon Unite is a multiplayer online battle arena game similar to TiMi's earlier game, Honor of Kings. Each match has two teams with five players each. Matches last 10 minutes, and the team with the highest score at the end wins. If scores are tied, the team that reached the final score first (the one that was leading earlier) wins. A team can also win if the opposing team decides to surrender. Surrendering is only allowed after the match reaches the halfway point, and only if most players on one team agree to it. Special events with unique rules and a game mode called Quick Battle are also available. Quick Battle has shorter 5-minute matches on smaller maps, with 3–4 players per team and some rule changes.
At the start of each match, players control a Pokémon that is initially weak. Pokémon can grow stronger and gain new abilities by capturing wild Pokémon, helping teammates capture wild Pokémon, scoring goals (with more experience earned for higher scores), and defeating enemy players' Pokémon. Unlike other Pokémon games, this version does not use the "type" system, which determines how Pokémon interact based on strengths and weaknesses. Instead, the game introduces "Unite Moves," special abilities unique to each Pokémon that are unlocked at specific levels. Over 62 Pokémon are currently playable in the game.
Pokémon Unite differs from other MOBAs by not showing a visible scoreboard during matches. This is meant to help players stay focused and avoid leaving the game when they are losing. Instead, the score is communicated through audio announcements at key moments: 5 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, and 1 minute before the match ends. For example, if the announcement "We have a huge lead!" plays, it means the player's team is ahead by 100 points or more. If the announcement "We're REALLY struggling!" plays, it means the player's team is behind by 100 points or more.
Development
In January 2021, TiMi, a Chinese video game company, started a limited test for a small group of players in China. In February 2021, The Pokémon Company announced another limited test, which was planned for March 2021 and was only open to Android smartphone users in Canada.
The introduction of Pokémon Unite caused debate, as news sources discussed the game’s possibility of creating a new competitive gaming scene for new players. A YouTube video showing the game’s announcement became the most disliked video on The Pokémon Company’s YouTube channel.
The Nintendo Switch version of the game was officially released on July 21, 2021. The mobile versions for iOS and Android devices were released on September 22, 2021. TiMi plans to continue developing the game after its release, including adding new playable Pokémon characters as downloadable content. The first of these additions became available to players on July 28, 2021.
In esports
In January 2022, producer Masaaki Hoshino confirmed that the game would be included in the Pokémon World Championships, which took place in August. It joined other games such as the main series games (VGC), the TCG, Pokémon Go, and the last season of Pokkén Tournament’s Championship Series. On the game’s official website, Hoshino announced that a tournament mode was being developed. This mode would ensure fair competition for all players, regardless of the quality of their items. The tournament mode was released on January 20, 2022. In the same month, the game was used in the AKB48 Group Invitational tournament, which was part of the Pokémon Battle Festival Asia online event hosted by ESL Asia. MNL48’s Team Padayon won the event after defeating BNK48’s Yummy Remote 3-1 in the Grand Finals.
For the first season of the Pokémon Unite Championship Series, 11 regions were supported: North America, Mexico, Central America, South America-West, South America-East, Japan, South Korea, Europe, Oceania, India, and the Asia-Pacific regions. Players must be at least 16 or 18 years old to register, depending on their region.
Before the World Championships, each region holds monthly tournaments. Teams earn championship points (CP) for winning these tournaments. Players can keep their CP to change teams as the season progresses.
The top 8 teams in CP from each region before June qualify for the Regional Championships. These championships begin with a round-robin tournament, where teams are divided into four groups. After this stage, the tournament switches to a double-elimination format for the finals. The top teams from the finals advance to the World Championships.
In August 2022, the North American team BLVKHVND won the first Unite Championship Series title in London. In August 2023, the same team, now competing under Luminosity Gaming, won the second Unite Championship Series in Yokohama. In August 2024, the Japanese team Fennel became the first non-North-American team to win the Unite Championship Series. They defeated the South Korean team XoraTigersGaming 3-0 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Reception
Pokémon Unite received "mixed or average" reviews, according to Metacritic. IGN gave the game a 6/10, pointing out that some in-game purchases allowed players to gain unfair advantages by spending money. These purchases were also criticized for their high prices, such as a special design for the Pokémon Alolan Ninetales that cost $40. Similar expensive items included a Halloween-themed outfit for Lucario and a Christmas-themed design for Pikachu. In response to fan discussions on social media, The Pokémon Company, through its official Twitter account, asked fans to take a survey to help improve the game.
By September 16, 2021, the game had been downloaded more than 9 million times on the Nintendo Switch, with over 7.5 million mobile pre-registrations before its mobile release on September 22. By October 1, research company Sensor Tower reported that the game had been downloaded 30 million times on mobile devices. The Pokémon Company confirmed that the game had been downloaded more than 25 million times across all platforms by October 4. On December 6, 2021, The Pokémon Company announced the game had reached 50 million downloads. It was later confirmed that the game passed 70 million downloads in April 2022 and 80 million downloads by August 2022.
Pokémon Unite won the "Best Game" award at Google Play's Best of 2021 and the "Mobile Game of the Year" award at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. The game was also considered for the "Best Mobile Game" award at the 2021 Game Awards.